Analisi FEM di velivoli HALE-UAV ad energia solare e modelli di predizione del peso strutturale

In questa tesi è stato preso in esame il PrP Solar, un velivolo non pilotato, propulso a energia solare, per missioni ad alta quota e di lunga durata(HALE-UAV). Basandosi su una configurazione che soddisfa i requisiti aerodinamici, aeromeccanici ed energetici, è stato fatto un dimensionamento strutturale del velivolo, utilizzando i metodi agli elementi finiti. Inoltre sono stati fatti studi sull'instabilità delle strutture e sono stati progettati preliminarmente i carrelli di atterraggio. Tutte le analisi fatte, hanno condotto alla realizzazione di modelli analitici, che predicono il peso strutturale del velivolo al variare della configurazione. Tali modelli hanno permesso di ottenere, dal ciclo iterativo di progettazione, una nuova configurazione del velivolo analizzato

Preface of the 31st Italian Symposium on Advanced Database Systems

This volume contains the proceedings of the 31st Italian Symposium on Advanced Database Systems (SEBD - Sistemi Evoluti per Basi di Dati), held in Galzinagno Terme (Padua, Italy) from 2 to 5 July 2023.</p

Preface of the 31st Italian Symposium on Advanced Database Systems

This volume contains the proceedings of the 31st Italian Symposium on Advanced Database Systems (SEBD - Sistemi Evoluti per Basi di Dati), held in Galzinagno Terme (Padua, Italy) from 2 to 5 July 2023.</p

How future surgery will benefit from SARS-COV-2-related measures: a SPIGC survey conveying the perspective of Italian surgeons

COVID-19 negatively affected surgical activity, but the potential benefits resulting from adopted measures remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in surgical activity and potential benefit from COVID-19 measures in perspective of Italian surgeons on behalf of SPIGC. A nationwide online survey on surgical practice before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic was conducted in March-April 2022 (NCT:05323851). Effects of COVID-19 hospital-related measures on surgical patients' management and personal professional development across surgical specialties were explored. Data on demographics, pre-operative/peri-operative/post-operative management, and professional development were collected. Outcomes were matched with the corresponding volume. Four hundred and seventy-three respondents were included in final analysis across 14 surgical specialties. Since SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, application of telematic consultations (4.1% vs. 21.6%; p &lt; 0.0001) and diagnostic evaluations (16.4% vs. 42.2%; p &lt; 0.0001) increased. Elective surgical activities significantly reduced and surgeons opted more frequently for conservative management with a possible indication for elective (26.3% vs. 35.7%; p &lt; 0.0001) or urgent (20.4% vs. 38.5%; p &lt; 0.0001) surgery. All new COVID-related measures are perceived to be maintained in the future. Surgeons' personal education online increased from 12.6% (pre-COVID) to 86.6% (post-COVID; p &lt; 0.0001). Online educational activities are considered a beneficial effect from COVID pandemic (56.4%). COVID-19 had a great impact on surgical specialties, with significant reduction of operation volume. However, some forced changes turned out to be benefits. Isolation measures pushed the use of telemedicine and telemetric devices for outpatient practice and favored communication for educational purposes and surgeon-patient/family communication. From the Italian surgeons' perspective, COVID-related measures will continue to influence future surgical clinical practice

Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified

Understanding key mineral supply chain dynamics using economics-informed material flow analysis and Bayesian optimization

&lt;p&gt;GLOMBO: GLObal Materials modeling using Bayesian Optimization.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Supporting code and data for the publication:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;John Ryter, Karan Bhuwalka, Michelena O&rsquo;Rourke, Luca Montanelli, David Cohen-Tanugi, Richard Roth, Elsa Olivetti. Understanding key mineral supply chain dynamics using economics-informed material flow analysis and Bayesian optimization" in the Journal of Industrial Ecology.&nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Journal of Industrial Ecology&lt;/em&gt;, 2024.&lt;/p&gt

Zinc Plating on Inkjet-Printed Ti3C2Tx MXene: Effect of Electrolyte and PEG Additive

Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are currently being studied as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The nucleation and growth of the zinc deposition mechanism is a critical field of research in ZIBs, as it directly affects the battery efficiency and lifespan. It is of paramount importance in mitigating the formation of porous, dendritic Zn structures that may cause cell inefficiency and, eventually, short-circuiting failures. Interfacial engineering plays a key role in providing reversible plating and stripping of metallic Zn in ZIBs through the proper regulation of the electrode–electrolyte interface. In this work, we investigated the behavior and characteristics of Zn plating on inkjet-printed Ti3C2Tx MXene-coated substrates according to the different electrolyte compositions. Specifically, ZnCl2 and ZnSO4 solutions were employed, evaluating the effect of a relatively low-molecularweight polyethylene glycol (PEG400) addition to the electrolyte as additive. Electrochemical analyses demonstrated higher deposition kinetics in chloride-based electrolytes rather than sulfate ones, resulting in lower nucleation overpotentials. However, the morphology and microstructure of the plated Zn, investigated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), revealed that the electrolytic solution played a predominant role in the Zn crystallite formation rather than the Ti3C2Tx MXene coating. Specifically, the preferential Zn [002] orientation could be favored when using additive-free ZnSO4 solution, and a PEG addition was found to be an efficient texturing agent only in ZnCl2 solution

Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction Using the EORTC IN-PATSAT32 Questionnaire and Surgical Outcome in Single-Port Surgery for Benign Adnexal Disease: Observational Comparison with Traditional Laparoscopy

Laparoscopic surgery has been demonstrated as a valid approach in almost all gynaecologic procedures including malignant diseases. Benefits of the minimally invasive approach over traditional open surgery have been well demonstrated in terms of minimal perioperative morbidity and reduced postoperative pain and hospital stay duration, with consequent quick postoperative recovery (Medeiros et al. (2009)). Single-port surgery resurfaced in gynaecology surgery in recent years and renewed interest among other surgeons and within the industry to develop this field (Podolsky et al. (2009)). Patient satisfaction is emerging as an increasingly important measure of quality which represents a complex entity that is dependent on patient demographics, comorbidities, disease, and, to a large extent, patient expectations (Tomlinson and Ko (2006)). It can be broadly thought to refer to all relevant experiences and processes associated with health care delivery (Jackson et al. (2001)). In this study we aim to compare single-port surgery (SPS) with conventional laparoscopy in terms of patient satisfaction using the EORTC IN-PATSAT32 questionnaire. We also evaluate the main surgical outcomes of both minimally invasive approaches